A child
on the shore
combs for sand dollars and snails
empty houses of stone
from the remains of oysters and urchins
where once resided
scallop and starfish
mollusk and whelk
holding a conch to his ear
hears the empty conversation
from what once was inside.
Eagerly approaching the shore empty
on the tides for decades
they float along waves for miles
until they land upon the beach
and become buried
to be collected in pails
where hollowed things
can be pondered
with naïve curiosity
by the child.
And if he looks out to sea
from high posts
on mountains
and skyscrapers
he can see too the […]